On-Farm Cotton Variety Trial Results

The decision making process regarding variety selection is often difficult and, in many cases, leaves growers wondering for the remainder of the growing season whether they made the right variety selection decisions.  Further complicating this process has been the rapid introduction of new varieties and the passing of “older” varieties over the past several years.  Historically, a premier variety would remain in the marketplace for a long period of time.  However, a variety that performs well today typically has a life span of four to six years.  One that does not perform well will likely remain on the market for less than three years.  In addition, the historical standard for variety testing information was to have two to three years of data prior to release of any given variety.  Today, one to two years of variety testing information on a “broad scale” is common prior to a new variety being released.  Therefore, greater demand has been placed upon testing a variety in as many environments as possible as a substitute for multiple years of data.  In nearly all cases, variety testing prior to release is conducted by private industry through a series of testing methods and through University Official Variety Trial (OVT) programs.  OVT data is typically available for one year prior to release of a given variety.

In 2015, on-farm variety trials were conducted at a total of 17 locations.  Nine locations were located in the Delta and eight were in the hills.  Eight of nine Delta locations were irrigated whereas all eight Hill locations were dryland.  Field sites were chosen based upon grower preference and required elements to conduct a yield trial.  Results from the 2015 on-farm cotton variety trials can be accessed below:

2015 On-Farm Cotton Variety Trial Results